Thursday, December 29, 2011

Thank you to www.wearegraftedin.com for posting my recent blogpost "The Beauty" . This site is pretty challenging ......through a Christian worldview, it encourages and supports adoption and orphan care through different author postings, forums, etc.

Even though we are not in the process of adopting, this was a great opportunity to give a shout out once again to a ministry that lives in my heart - Sixty Feet. Visit either of these websites and you'll be challenged to do more for Christ's Kingdom. Promise.

* Also, as a side note, many might notice a change of % in the contributions made toward Sixty Feet. That is just my way to simplify things a bit. Figuring out exact profit per piece is tricky. You factor in furniture cost, paint, materials, etc. then add in the cost of my booth space rental, then save a little $ for future purchases, then finding profit = headache! So I decided to simply say 25% of each furniture sale, not the profit, will benefit Sixty Feet. I can handle that calculation. Much simpler.....

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

I have to say, this probably was one of my favorite Christmas mornings. The girls are just at that great age....the age where everything is magical and going to bed on Christmas Eve is next to impossible. And Sophie was just the cutest bunches of oats once she finally figured out what was going on!

Grace's Hallway Run...

Sophie's Hallway Run... Santa visited. This year there was no "big gift". We wondered how the girls would respond, and as always, it turned out to be something that us 'ol folks worried about for no reason. Coloring books, some clothes, a game or two.....all were a hit.

That microphone produces some of the most annoying sounds ever, but hilarious they are!

I hope your Christmas was full of wonderful memories, as well. Happy Holidays!!

Friday, December 23, 2011

So my sweet hubs and his dad took their annual trip hunting wayyy down in South Texas. But this time, they inducted Grace. I don't know about you, but these pictures show how much she enjoyed the trip.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

It's been close to two months since I've pulled out the paintbrush. That seems like a long hiatus to me. With football season dusting off the "football widow" sign on my forehead every September and sluggish sales at my booth thanks to a lack of, well, effort on my part.........thankfully, these past few weeks have perked up the sales and my empty booth ushered in the need to get my brush on!

This bad boy has been just waiting to get distressed and fabulous.....

Unfortunatly, drying time is a lot longer thanks to our colder weather.....so no after pics yet. But on the positive side, ASCP works even better in lower temperatures (slower drying time = more time to smooth out the lines). Guess I'll have to learn to enjoy painting with my gloves and scarf....

Monday, December 5, 2011

"Mommy, do they have stickers in Africa?" my Grace asked."Um.....I didn't see any. I'm sure they do though."After some thought, she continues, "It's got to hurt those kids...walking on their bare feet like they do...."

I smile weakly and think, I'm sure it does.

I received an email this week from a young man I came to know while in Uganda. We met briefly at the M's (the children's prison). He spoke English. He was 18. His name was Kiyemba Walter Trevor....I spoke with him for just a moment, and after a short introduction, he was already a kindred spirit.....warning me of some boys who were talking about stealing my things....telling me about his school and love for art and drawing (kindred spirit indeed!).....describing how he came to live for the past two weeks in this one room prison with 30 other boys.....and when I gave him my bible, he cried that it was the 'best day of his life'.

There was so much beauty in that moment. Beauty I'll never be able to describe. It didn't come from me, or even him necessarily. It came from being directly, immediately, in the stark center of God's will. Doing exactly what He purposed me to do....using these inexperienced hands to fulfill a prayer from Walter who had prayed just days earlier for a bible of his own.

I miss that. In the days of this Christmas season, I find that there is nothing I'd rather think about or talk about or read about, than that very subject. Trying to figure out how to be brave. Bold. The Matthew 16:25 kind of bold....."for whoever tries to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it."

The ability to lose your life, but find it. The Beauty of being in His fullness.

Grace asked that question because she knows it has been on my mind. She, in her own way, is trying to bond with me, figure me out, share an experience with me - it's sweet. I hope this Christmas, she'll understand why mommy kind of gets quiet everynow and then.

Beauty in Pictures....

The Source of the Nile (the very beginning of this beautiful river)

Preparing Our Meal - no granite, no fancy cookware, but look at her smile.Beautiful.